Investigators probe deadly MBTA collision

Thursday

May 29, 2008 at 12:38 PM

NEWTON -- A member of the National Transportation Safety Board and a team of federal investigators arrived today to seek the cause of a collision between two commuter trains that killed one of the operators and injured more than a dozen passengers.

STEVE LeBLANC

NEWTON -- A member of the National Transportation Safety Board and a team of federal investigators arrived today to seek the cause of a collision between two commuter trains that killed one of the operators and injured more than a dozen passengers.

Board member Kathryn "Kitty" Higgins and rail investigator Wayne Workman were leading the effort to find the cause of Wednesday's crash, which killed 24-year-old Terrese Edmonds near a station in suburban Newton.

The woman had worked for the authority since last August. Operators must be high school graduates and hold a driver's license, complete background checks and undergo a seven-week training program that includes classroom work and trolley driving.

An initial NTSB briefing was scheduled for midday Thursday, board spokesman Peter Knudson said. Among the possible causes routinely investigated by the board are equipment failure, operator error and systems malfunction. A full report is not expected for up to 18 months, Knudson said.

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